Sifter structure



Oct; 27, 1931.

w; a. KIRCHHOFF SIFTER STRUCTURE Filed June 27. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- vim:

2 me 3 14km parts being-brokenaway.

"3 showni nFi 1.

Patented Oct. 27, 1931 WILLIAM insm n, cr cIN nr'i,

orr'ro, As s IGNoR 'ro THE .1.- n. n? corr- .eANmpr CINCINNATI, 01110, A CORPORATION or OHIO SIFTER srnncruian Applicationfiled June 27,

' Thisinvention relates to'a sifting or dust- ,ing appartus such as may be used wlth bread making and other types of machines and'has for an object the provision'ofa sifter mecha 5 anism which 'is' adapted foraccurate adjust ment in order to regulate the quantity of siftable substance discharged thereby.

Another "object is toprovide'a' device having a' unitary adjustment unit which may be conveniently assembled on anyfof a numberof'different kinds of machines. Another object is to'provide a sifter where- V in both the screen or mesh and theagitating means are adjustable" for regulating the delivery of isiftable substance therefrom.

' if'j' il'tnotheriobje'ctfis to provide a sifter mechanism with anoscillatory agitator and means 'for' effecting" a fine adjustment of the oscillation of the agitator. r y These andotherbbjects areattained by the means-described herein and disclosed inthe j'accompanying drawings, in'whic'h-z Flggl is a 'sideelevational view of a "struc- "ture embodying a "device of the iIlVGIltlQD.

- V Fig.3 is an enlarged vertical section show- -ing" theright'handortion of the structure cross sectional view'on line 2-2 V Fig.14isa cross sectional view taken online l of Fig.3. 7 [L Fig. 5 is a; detail'showinga portion of the structure shown inlfig. 3. p r v In the present embodiment of the invention the sifter: or duster comprises a body member 8 having side walls 9 which converge downwardly toward a bottom plate 10 having a longitudinal discharge slot 11. operative length of the'dischar'ge; slot 11 is controlled by a plurality of slides 12' ar- 'rangedin sideby siderelation in a recess'13 in the top face of plate-IO. yThe slides l2-have suitable 1 finger pieces 120 for" facilitating l'withdraw'al thereof. A duster screen 14 is secured intermediate the bottom plate 10 and I I the bottom of itheduster body.*;An agitator1 shaft. "151extends1 longitudinally I through the duster; body and is" journaled in a suitable bearing ldat one endand' in ajn en'd plate 1'? -a hub member 32 secured has one side for a distance beyond center of the 1927. Serial No. 201,660. A

at the opposite end of said body. This shaft is adapted for oscillation by the mechanism hereinafter described for imparting rocking or oscillatory movement to a suitable agitator.- 18 which may carry a plurality of rods 19.- The agitators 18 may be rigidly secured to shaft 15 by any suitable means such as set screws 20. 'By regulating the oscillatory movement of agitators'18 and the rods or brush members carried thereby, the rate of discharge of siftable substance through the screen may be controlled with accuracy.

As shown in Fig; 3 the end of shaft 15 extends through end plate or casting member 17 for a distance providing a projecting por tion 150 on the shaft 15. An agitator shaft lever 21 has a bore 22 which receives the projecting end 150 of the shaft 15. A set screw 23iserves to secure lever 21 to the shaft 15. Agitator lever 23 has an elongated slot 24 through which projects an eccentric stud 25 having anti-friction roller 26 attached theretO. The stud 25 is arranged for accurate adjustment toward and away from. the longitudinal centerof a rotating actuating mechanism which is herein arranged in the form of 'a separate and .removableunit. A bearing housing 2 7 carriesa flange 28 whereby sa1d'hous1ng 1s secured by any suitable means such as cap screws 29 to the endmember 17. A journal 3O of suitable bearing metal is supplied within thehousing 27. A gear 31 has thereto with any key screw 33 and a radial slot or opening 34 extending. from suitable means such as by a hub 32. A bearing bushing 35 encircles the hub 32 and closes the longitudinal opening 34 at the side of said hub. A suitable thrust bearingl 36 is interposed between the gear 31 and the end of the bearing journal 30,- the mechanism thus far described being retained against withdrawal by a gear cover 37 which "maybe suitabl secured to' a flange 38 on the "housing 27. hub 39 through which anadjustm'ent screw 40, having a knob 41, may be moved. Asuitear cover 37 has a threaded ablelock' nut 42 serves to lock the screw in adjusted positions. The eccentric stud 25 is secured to orlmade integral witha stud bar inclined faces let and an intermediate face45 which is in alignment with the axis of stud 25. *Awedgebar'ilfi has a pair of comple-V mentar'y spaced parallel inclined IEELCGS":47

- which" correspondato the inclined faces 44 on the stud bar l3. Springs &8 seas/di Suit; able recessesin stud bar 43 and having their free ends'abuttingthe'bushing 35- serve toretainthe'stud-barin abutment withthefwedge 1. bar 46. The washer or disc 49 is secured to e the end of hub 3211057; means otscrewfs50 Washer 49 has a slot 51therein. slightly narrower than the opening 34in the hub The 'smdtbams has anarrowed flange 52 which rides-in theslt151'otwasher 491" Thus i I will be .noted' that the end of the body of the gitudinali: displaoementy while it -ma-yi-be I stud bar abuts one face of asher 49 adjacent the slot ;while aaface,.-t the roller 26' on the 'studabuts-the oppositetace of said washer. The studibar is thus retained against lonmoved radially, orinother words'radially of the hub by means of the wedge bar 46. The wedge bar 46 vis'recessed at 53 toreceive the end'ot screw .40, a suitable. anti-friction thrust V "bearing54 being interposed betweenthe' end of the wedge bar and the gear cover 37. From the foregoing-it will-be noted that a fine degreeofadjustment not the studmay be 7 T 'attained by manipulating the knob 41, and v thatthe parts-maybe securelylretainediin adjusted positions hymeans of the lock' nut42.

: 7 The'gear 31 may beactuated-from'-a power te ny from a motor 56. The entire" duster or sitter unitm'ay beconvenientlynmounted upon ij -a;pair of spaced'support members. 57, the

body "being provided? with' perforate base -fi'ange's 58resting (inf-tubular spacers.- 5 9. and.

I m e y b olts 60 F extending through the i v flanges, spacers andinto the supportsq57,

1 Screws; 61Jfextending upwardly through the,

supports 57' and abutting the bottom plat 1 at spaced intervals, servetoretainthebottom plate, screen and V by precluding undesired escape ofthe siftable 7 v substance and alsoserving to eliminate vibra-' "tion I a. f' I v x The-operationotthedevice isjas follows; awhen it-"is 'desired to provide a dustlngmechslides 12 in abutment, there- 1-,:anism 'for a given'machine a complete .unit

' 'suchas is shownin Fig. lmay-be'conveniently V mounted inpositionby securingthe supports i thereto, '-I f=the,machine be'previouslyprovided with aflh'opper body, agitator and "agi ftatorzshatt, a'unitl'comprisingrthe housing 27 and theiparts contained therein may: be mounted upon thehopper, and the lever 21- connected with theagitatorshaft. i The sieveral j difierent'fitypes of installations; mentio'ned; may be; quickly. made, with but very .JittIe labor:f Theadjustment of the-means a if.

azi 'i; Controllingoscil a on Of };'ag itat0f whichis-provided with a pair of spaced ;of the wedge bar.- for effecting shatt'has been heretofore set forth and will be readily understood. When the device is of stud'bar and wedgebar in abutment, the stud 25 is concentric with thehub 32 and merely rotates therewith sothat no oscillatory movement i's transmitted to' leverji 21; and the shaft connected'toz-it- A slight forward ad ustrnent of the Wedge bar willmove the sweets and studwillproduce newsstand:

ecc'entricityibetween the' hub and stud and j a resultant oscillation of the lever and'shaft.

Thestud'has a wide range of adjustment.

' WhiIetheaI-"rangementof slides 12 is disclosed" hereinat the ends oi the hopper, it

will be understood thattheentire dis harg in the position shown, with all parallel-faces slotma'yhe made,controllableby-the addition v of slides-12.,- In this way one QIE Qli 'd mS' V charge'openings may behad and may' bearranged in-required position relative to the -Qppel' tis I I 1.v In'-,a device of the class:

i laimedisz-"i v ing a radial opening along: one-;si de', ,a sftud barin said opening, a wedge barintheopem ing, each otsaid bars havingapairrof spaced 'inclined ;faces,,the inclined faceslof said bars p H the a combination of a rotatably mounted hub hav-V being adapted to ride upon one another,

means for :ettecting; longitudinal novement 'ment oft-he stud bar andga ,fromthe stud bar. and -n loyable; therewith throughthe agency of the adj-usting means to t m r s om concentr ea axis of; theihub to variQus d egree lgf 6mm} tricitytherewith; 7

32. .In' a, dBVlCQ of the-@1555 combinationiota housing, a hub rotatably mounted within the, housing 1 and ,having a radial opening'therein extendingbeyond the for vradial movement within the opening of the hub and. through which passes the axis of the hub, o a-"wedge bar in the; opening andv including said axlsj of rotation,cooperative dial uj s'p ie tins' axis of rotation of thehub, a stud'barrnounted means on thejstu-d bar and the wedge bar whereby the studbar ismovecl radially in the openlng upon longitudinal;movementfofthe V wedge bar," 1 adj ustment: means normall fixed relative the housingj and throughf which passes the axis of hub rotation} foe loiigi for rotating the hub; a v

,tudinally moving the wedge fand me ns a. In a d me asp-sass; described. the

V combination of a housing, a -"hub .rotatably mounted within the housingand oh'aving fa longitudinal radial vopening thel'fiin extending diametrally from a surfacefof the hub iandpastthe axis ot rotationthereofto a location closely adj acent. the oppo'sitefsurtace of sth h b: as d ba nthe Op g' n bc 'upyi ring; ai zposi i I ub a t a at; bi e ide r 0f sheen ax o the b', a' oqp aiive element in h p e s e dil 'nqs d s b tantial y-onthe'opposite side of said axis, Cooperative I means on said element and the stud barwhereby longitudinal movement of said element effects radial movement'fof the stud bar in the opening, and adjustment means concentric with the axis of rotation of the hub for longitudinally moving the cooperative element.

14. In a device of the class described the combination of a housing, a hub rotatably mounted Within the housing and having a longitudinal radial opening therein extending diametrally from a surfaceof the hub and operative element in the opening and dispast the axis of rotation thereof to a location closely adjacentthe opposite surface of the hub, a stud supporting member in the opening and occupyinga position substantially at one side of the said axis of the hub, a co- ,posed substantially on the opposite side of said axis, cooperative means on said element and the stud supporting member whereby longitudinal movement of said element effects radial movement of the stud supporting memberin the opening, means yieldingly urging the stud supporting member and its cooperative element toward-one another, a bearing bushing encircling the hub, and adjustment means concentric with the axis of rotation of the hub for longitudinally moving thr= longitudinally movable element.

- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sub-V scribed my name this 21stdavof June. 1927.

WILLIAM G. KI'RGHHOFF. I 

